< sarcasm >As I can tell from the plethora of comments and praise, this new series of posts is a huge hit, so I'll make today's edition short and sweet.< /sarcasm >
Matchup #1 Bobby Valentine vs. The Angels Team Card
Pros: Bobby V will forever be an icon for his masterful disguise after being ejected from a game. He's rocking the flapless helmet, always a nice look. He appears to be taking this photo at a high school football stadium.
Cons: The green on green border lacks the pop of many of the cards in this set.
Pros: It's a whole lot of Halos. With a magnifying glass, Nolan Ryan can be found. There's a guy wearing a plaid blazer!
Cons: The Angels weren't exactly a powerhouse in the '70s, so a lot of Halos isn't necessarily a good thing.
The Verdict: I thought Bobby V. would take this one, but the hideous blue blazer just barely pulls this one out for the Angels Team card.
Matchup #2: Andy Hassler vs. Ellie Rodriguez
Pros: On the back of the card, we learn this bit of trivia: "The only NLer to hit 2 grand slammers in one game" was Pitcher Tony Cloninger. Andy pitched 9 years for the Halos.
Cons: In those 9 years, Hassler had a 21-46 record.
Pros: Ellie was twice an all-star, not sure how. I appreciate the faux catching stance.
Cons: Ellie only played 2 years for the Angels and according to baseballreference.com his most similar player by age in 1975 was Kirt Manwaring.
The Verdict: Thanks to longevity, Hassler pulls this one out, but his future chances are dim.
Matchup #3: Joe Lahoud vs. Leroy Stanton
The Pros: The green, yellow, red color combo looks really nice on this card. He hit a "grand slammer" in 1973, which was his biggest hit of the season.
The Cons: The "grand slammer" came against the Angels, while he was a Brewer. The guy sucked.
The Pros: He's got the sweat bulky windbreaker look under his uniform. His name is Leroy. He's only wearing one batting glove. His biggest hit wasn't a "grand slammer" against the Angels.
The cons: I'm not a fan of the green on green.
The verdict: Screw you, Joe Lahoud. Leroy takes it in a first round KO.
Matchup #4: Ken Sanders vs. Bruce Bochte
The pros: Windbreaker collar poking out of jersey. Hat appears airbrushed. He once saved 31 games in a season.
The cons: He only pitched in 9 games for the Angels. His back of the card factoid, "Ken once accepted 13 chances". Ummm, ok. Was this on the field, at a bar with sleazy women, what?
The Pros: Began his career as an Angel. His signature looks like that of a young child, especially since he's not one for capitalization. I respect his need for non-conformity.
The cons: He became an all-star for the Mariners. His shaggy hair can't compete with the locks of Mr. Sanders.
The verdict: While I respect Ken Sanders and his choice of undergarment, bruce bochte and his eschewing of capital letters takes today's final matchup in a walk.
4 more battles down and just 5 remain. With a little bit of energy, all 5 will be knocked out tomorrow and we can commence the battle royale! Over the top rope, only one man will survive!
Go Halos!
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Bruce Botche, who went on to a respectable career with the Mariners, is an interesting fellow. Look him up on Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought his rebellious nature was limited to his signature. bochte is quickly rising up the charts.
ReplyDeleteBoth Ken Sanders and Ellie Rodriguez need to be docked points for us thinking they were girls when we were kids.
ReplyDeleteAnd Leroy Stanton should fly through to the next round because I've always thought that card was awesome.